LEXUS PARTNERS WITH ARTISTS, DESIGNERS ON INTERIORS SERIES
To celebrate the world premiere of the LF-Z Electrified, a battery electric concept vehicle symbolizing the brand’s next chapter, Lexus has partnered with three artists and designers to re-imagine the latest concept car’s interior. Star footwear designer Salehe Bembury, digital artist Ondrej Zunka, and Japanese fashion label Hender Scheme were tapped for the project.
Conceived as a platform for collaboration, the LF-Z Electrified Virtual Interior series introduces a new approach to design, a synergy between art, fashion, lifestyle, and technology that challenges the status quo of the automotive space. The collective of creatives, handpicked by Lexus, exemplifies the different aspects of Lexus’ core principles: future-inspired design, Japanese heritage and Takumi craftsmanship, and an enhanced human-machine connection.
“LF-Z Electrified embodies the future of the Lexus brand, so it is exciting to see that future represented by such diverse talent across the design space,” says Brian Bolain, general manager at Lexus International. “Each of the collaborators brings a fresh energy that not only reinterprets the interior of the LF-Z but also examines the themes of Lexus’ next chapter.”
Kicking off the series is award-winning footwear designer Salehe Bembury, whose interior design concept embraces the future. Bringing his nature-inspired design approach to the LF-Z Electrified, Bembury conceptualized a virtual interior that blends both a futuristic aesthetic with organic materials alongside his signature use of bright color. “I want this car to feel like a seamless juxtaposition of machine and nature,” said Bembury. “Equally utilizing the function of the machine and the benefits and nature to fuel and nurture the passengers to their destination.”
The concept uses colors inspired by sandstone landscapes and other natural tones, setting aside traditionally futuristic materials in favor of natural materials like cedar, cork, and granite. These natural materials sit alongside textiles and patterns that reference Bembury’s background in sneaker design, such as a “hairy” suede used on the seatbacks, and a fingerprint motif that is often found in the designer’s work, applied here for a personalized control panel.
“Just as he has done with footwear, Salehe has pushed the envelope of what design can be in terms of material selection, silhouette, and storytelling,” added Bolain. “He is one of the most exciting designers in the sneaker space right now, and he embodies the bold thinking and energy that we see in Lexus’ future.”
Lexus will also unveil two additional artist-designed LZ-F Electrified concepts by Ondrej Zunka and Hender Scheme throughout the week. Zunka, taking inspiration from the futuristic technologies of the LZ-F Electrified through the lens of his digital art practice, will render a virtual interior for the concept car that pushes the boundaries of functionality and design. Tokyo-based Hender Scheme turns to its label’s signature leather craftsmanship for its iteration of the LZ-F Electrified imagined interior.
